Opinion: 'Georgia’s next patriarch may be aligned with government'
Opinion on Shio III – Georgia’s new patriarch
According to political analyst Vakhtang Dzabiradze, the new Patriarch Shio III’s main challenge will be maintaining unity within the Church. He said preserving that unity would benefit both the Church and the country.
Commenting on calls for the new patriarch to intervene on behalf of those arrested during the protests, Dzabiradze said Georgian Dream would only release the detainees if it considered such a move politically beneficial.
He added that those detained should be pardoned unconditionally, rather than in exchange for confessions or admissions of guilt.
Vakhtang Dzabiradze said: “The situation is extremely difficult both in the country and in society as a whole. The enthronement of Shio III yesterday is one of the most important events in Georgia’s public and religious life. At the same time, the new Catholicos-Patriarch Shio III has inherited a difficult legacy. His actions, particularly at the beginning of his tenure, will inevitably be compared with those of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II.
I believe the main task facing both the Church and the nation will be maintaining unity. <…> It is an enormous responsibility.
Twenty-two votes are enough to elect a patriarch, but not enough to keep the Church united. Everything will depend on the steps he takes. The new patriarch’s first priority should be preventing a split within the Church. He received enough votes to become patriarch, but how he chooses to deal with other hierarchs will be hugely important. In many ways, this will be the first real test of his spiritual leadership, and only after that will the wider picture become clearer.”
“Regarding political prisoners, there are growing hopes among the public that they could be released, but the decision ultimately lies with the government. <…>
The Synod has repeatedly appealed to the government to release those detained, but the authorities have so far refused. So regardless of whether the appeal comes from the new patriarch or the old one, the key question is this: does Georgian Dream see the release of prisoners as politically advantageous? That depends more on external factors, and partly on internal ones — though not on the Church itself, but on the protest movement.
The government has long said it is prepared to pardon political prisoners if they confess to wrongdoing. That does not require mediation from either the patriarch or anyone else. An unconditional pardon will only become possible if it serves Georgian Dream’s political interests.
That will depend more on external pressure than on who appeals to the government for clemency. If Georgian Dream fails to overcome its current isolation from Western partners, it may be forced to make certain concessions and release some of the detainees. The question is whether the government will choose to frame such a move as a response to a request from the Patriarchate. If Georgian Dream makes that political decision, it will almost certainly prefer to present it in exactly that way.”
“As for the future relationship between Shio III and the Georgian Dream government, every government seeks to maintain at least good relations with the Church. In Georgia’s reality, despite all the authority and achievements of Ilia II, he was still forced at times to make certain compromises. That is why it will be especially important to see how the new Catholicos-Patriarch responds to requests from the government and whether he is able to maintain a balance. <…>
I cannot rule out the possibility that, following his election, he will quietly align himself with the government. He will not be able to fully distance himself from the authorities — there are no real conditions for that at the moment. Our society is not yet at a stage where that would be possible.
As for Shio III’s interest in whether Bidzina Ivanishvili attended the enthronement, I do not see anything wrong with that.”
Opinion on Shio III – Georgia’s new patriarch
